I've worked remotely for years, having started my career as an SMM manager and assumed a variety of roles in the area of copywriting and marketing. At a certain point in my life, I came to believe that remote work is one of the finest options for anyone who wants to manage their own time in the full sense of the word. I’ve always hated offices, regardless of the type of work or income provided by companies. Next year, I will have been working remotely for five years. I have nothing but good things to say about this working style; for me, remote work has proven to be more productive and satisfying than any other type of work.

However, today I read an article discussing that people who work remotely tend to become introverted and not communicate with the outside world. It suggests that remote work can be a great source of stress for employees because it reduces the amount of real-life communication in their lives. According to the article, remote workers become accustomed to staying at home so much so that they fail to appreciate the value of personal contact after a while. As a result, their communication in real life comes to a halt, resulting in profound apathy, and, in some cases, even depression.

Even though this may sound plausible, I won’t go as far as to claim that remote work is the chief cause of problems with communicating. It’s true that when you work remotely, you have to spend more time on your own. However, spending time in solitude is a basic necessity for anyone who needs to concentrate on work, whether it be working in an office or remotely.

I don’t think it makes sense to blame remote work for people's loneliness. When it comes to communication, our attitude toward people is what makes a world of difference. It’s true that remote work can leave us feeling lonely. However, our behaviour also plays a crucial part in that, determining whether we want to communicate with people or prefer to be on our own. If we're at home all the time, mulling over our loneliness and not daring to venture out, we're not very likely to make friends. 

As far as I've noticed, one thing all remote workers have in common is a belief that working remotely yields greater productivity and gives more flexibility than working in an office. Indeed, there's no need to worry about coworkers spreading rumors and having water cooler conversations if you're sitting in the comfort of your own living room. My friends who work remotely are often ready to go for a walk on the spur of the moment, frequently postponing deadlines in favor of meeting up in the coffeeshop. Even though sometimes they want to complete work tasks come hell or high water, oftentimes they just keep working at a regular pace, still keeping in touch with their friends and loved ones. I wouldn’t say that striking a balance between work and free time is easy; sometimes it requires some compromises, other times we just have to completely change our work schedule. Still, by doing that, we can create for ourselves a life that we enjoy to the fullest.

At the end of the day, every job has its pros and cons. Both remote and office work can be difficult and lonely as well as enjoyable and self-satisfying. How people can blame one working style and simultaneously praise another is beyond me; I'd call it narrow-minded, to say the least. Whether or not we communicate with others largely depends on our attitude, not our working style.